Impact forces received upon particular materials may compromise the integrity of the material and the purpose for which it is used. For example, glass is an amorphous solid material that is used extensively in everyday life. However, glass products such as automobile windshields and home windows are particularly prone to encounter debris that may result in some degree of cracking, chipping, or even shattering (collectively “breakage”). Rocks are often encountered by automobile tires and projected at following traffic, and lawn mowers may similarly propel debris at windows (and especially those that are adjacent the ground). While manufacturing advancements have been made to improve the resilience of glass products, such improved products may be undesirably expensive and may nevertheless still be susceptible to breakage. Further, those manufacturing advancements do not aid existing products that were made with older technology.
Additionally, impact forces received upon persons may have harmful consequences. For example, a tackle in the NFL can produce up to 1600 pounds of force on a player's body. Matt Higgins, “Football Physics: The Anatomy of a Hit,” Popular Mechanics, Dec. 9, 2009, http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/physics/4212171. A hit like this can cause a player's head to accelerate in his helmet at 30 to 60 g's. At 100 g's, a player will be out with a concussion. It has become increasingly important in sports for players to wear the best protective gear possible with the rising numbers of sports-related injuries, such as concussion. However, while advancements in sports gear have improved the safety of the game, players remain susceptible to head injuries where the impact force upon the player is greater than the force that the equipment can absorb.
Other types of helmets may also receive impacts, such as hard hats. Dispersion of impact forces acting upon these helmets may similarly be desirable.
Some embodiments set forth herein may inhibit glass breakage without requiring any changes to how the glass is manufactured. Other embodiments set forth herein may be incorporated in the glass manufacturing process as an alternative, or enhancement, to other anti-breakage technologies. Still other embodiments set forth herein may help disperse impact forces away from a person's body to prevent or minimize injury.